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PubMed1993

Paraspinal muscle evoked cerebral potentials in patients with unilateral low back pain.

Cerebral somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) were elicited by magnetic stimulation of paraspinal muscles unilaterally at the L2 and L5 levels in 20 healthy subjects and 16 patients with low back pain and unilateral muscle spasm. A magnetic coil with a mean diameter of 4.7 cm was placed tangentially to the skin. The stimulus strength was sufficient to induce a visible muscle twitch without producing muscle contraction in the legs. The potentials recorded over the scalp consisted of several components (P30, N40, P55, N70, and P90) and were elicited in all subjects. In both healthy and patient subjects, paraspinal muscle evoked potentials were readily elicited. Vibration applied to paraspinal muscles, as well as voluntary contraction of paraspinal muscles, was associated with attenuation of the evoked potentials. This finding suggests that muscle spindle receptors provide the afferent input responsible for the early components of the magnetically evoked cerebral potentials. In patients with unilateral muscle spasm, the amplitudes of P30-N40, N40-P50, and P50-N70 were decreased significantly on the affected side when compared with values on stimulation of the unaffected side, as well as those obtained from control subjects. The cerebral evoked potentials returned to normal amplitude when the muscle spasm subsided following a period of time and after the application of spinal manipulative therapy. The technique has potential for quantitative evaluation of muscle spasm in low back pain.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Physician views about treating low back pain. The results of a national survey.

STUDY DESIGN: Physicians were surveyed regarding their beliefs about treatment efficacy for patients with low back pain. OBJECTIVE: To document physician beliefs about the efficacy of specific treatments and the extent to which these beliefs correspond to current knowledge. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Little is known about physician beliefs regarding the efficacy of specific back pain treatments. METHODS: A national random sample of 2897 physicians were mailed questionnaires that asked about 1) the treatments they would order for hypothetical patients with low back pain and 2) the treatments they believed were effective for back pain. Responses were compared with guidelines suggested by the Quebec Task Force on Spinal Disorders. RESULTS: Almost 1200 physicians responded. More than 80% of these physicians believed physical therapy is effective, but this consensus was lacking for other treatments. Fewer than half of the physicians believed that spinal manipulation is effective for acute or chronic back pain or that epidural steroid injections, traction, and corsets are effective for acute back pain. Bed rest and narcotic analgesics were recommended by substantial minorities of physicians for patients with chronic pain. The Quebec Task Force found little scientific support for the effectiveness of most of the treatments found to be in common use. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of consensus among physicians could be attributable to the absence of clear evidence-based clinical guidelines, ignorance or rejection of existing scientific evidence, excessive commitment to a particular mode of therapy, or a tendency to discount the efficacy of competing treatments.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Methodological quality of randomized clinical trials on treatment efficacy in low back pain.

STUDY DESIGN: This was a review of criteria-based meta-analyses. OBJECTIVES: To assess the methodological quality of published randomized clinical trials on the efficacy of commonly used interventions in low back pain. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: During the last several decades, the number of published randomized clinical trials regarding low back pain has continued to grow. For some interventions, considerable numbers of trials are available. Trials have been shown to vary substantially regarding their quality. METHODS: A computer-aided search was conducted of published randomized clinical trials into the efficacy of spinal manipulation and mobilization, exercise therapy, back schools, bed rest, orthoses, and traction therapy. There was additional screening of journals not covered by Medline and Embase. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using a set of predefined criteria. RESULTS: Sixty-nine different randomized clinical trials were identified. Methodological scores varied between 16 and 82 points (maximum was 100 points). Methodological quality tended to be associated with the outcomes of the studies. Methodological shortcomings were frequently found--e.g., small sample sizes, no description of the randomization procedure, no description of drop-outs, no placebo-control group, and lack of blinded outcome assessments. CONCLUSIONS: Although a considerable number of randomized clinical trials have been carried out to evaluate the efficacy of interventions in low back pain, their methodological quality appears to be disappointingly low. Future trials are clearly needed, but much more attention should be paid to the methods of such studies.

Data Interpretation, Statistical↗

PubMed1997

Cost and effectiveness analysis of chiropractic and physiotherapy treatment for low back and neck pain. Six-month follow-up.

STUDY DESIGN: A randomized, clinical trial was conducted in which patients with back/neck problems, visiting a general practitioner, were allocated to chiropractic or physiotherapy as primary management. OBJECTIVES: To compare outcome and costs of chiropractic and physiotherapy in managing patients with low back or neck pain. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Earlier studies on the treatment of back pain by spinal manipulation have shown inconsistent results. When a "new" strategy--chiropractic--in the treatment of back pain was introduced in public health care in Sweden, there was a need to compare the effects and costs of chiropractic with the established physiotherapy. METHODS: Three hundred twenty-three patients aged 18 to 60 years who had no contraindications to manipulation and who had not been treated within the previous month were included in the study. Treatment was carried out at the discretion of the therapist. Outcome measures were primarily changes in pain intensity and general health, both assessed with visual analog scale and Oswestry pain disability questionnaire. Direct and indirect costs were measured. RESULTS: For patients with low back or neck pain visiting the general practitioner in primary care, both chiropractic and physiotherapy as primary treatment reduced the symptoms. No difference in outcome or direct or indirect costs between the two groups could be seen, nor in subgroups defined as duration, history, or severity. CONCLUSIONS: The effectiveness and total costs of chiropractic or physiotherapy as primary treatment were similar to reach the same result after treatment and after 6 months.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

One-year follow-up comparison of the cost and effectiveness of chiropractic and physiotherapy as primary management for back pain. Subgroup analysis, recurrence, and additional health care utilization.

STUDY DESIGN: A randomized trial was conducted in which patients with back and neck pain, visiting a general practitioner, were allocated to chiropractic or physiotherapy. OBJECTIVES: To compare outcome and costs of chiropractic and physiotherapy as primary treatment for patients with back and neck pain, with special reference to subgroups, recurrence rate, and additional health care use at follow-up evaluation 12 months after treatment. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Earlier studies on the effect of spinal manipulation have shown inconsistent results. Mostly they include only short-term follow-up periods, and few cost-effectiveness analyses have been made. METHODS: A group of 323 patients aged 18-60 years who had no contraindications to manipulation and who had not been treated within the previous month were included. Outcome measures were changes in Oswestry scores, pain intensity, and general health; recurrence rate; and direct and indirect costs. RESULTS: No differences were detected in health improvement, costs, or recurrence rate between the two groups. According to Oswestry score, chiropractic was more favorable for patients with a current pain episode of less than 1 week (5%) and physiotherapy for patients with a current pain episode of greater than 1 month (6.8%). Nearly 60% of the patients reported two or more recurrences. More patients in the chiropractic group (59%) than in the physiotherapy group (41%) sought additional health care. Costs varied considerably among individuals and subgroups; the direct costs were lower for physiotherapy in a few subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Effectiveness and costs of chiropractic or physiotherapy as primary treatment were similar for the total population, but some differences were seen according to subgroups. Back problems often recurred, and additional health care was common. Implications of the result are that treatment policy and clinical decision models must consider subgroups and that the problem often is recurrent. Models must be implemented and tested.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Clinical guidelines for the management of low back pain in primary care: an international comparison.

STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive study. OBJECTIVES: To compare national clinical guidelines on low back pain. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: To rationalize the management of low back pain, clinical guidelines have been issued in various countries around the world. Given that the available scientific evidence is the same, irrespective of the country, one would expect these guidelines to include more or less similar recommendations regarding diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: Guidelines were included that met the following criteria: the target group consisted of primary care health professionals, and the guideline was published in English, German, or Dutch. Only one guideline per country was included: the one most recently published. RESULTS: Clinical guidelines from 11 different countries published from 1994 until 2000 were included in this review. The content of the guidelines appeared to be quite similar regarding the diagnostic classification (diagnostic triage) and the use of diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. Consistent features were the early and gradual activation of patients, the discouragement of prescribed bed rest, and the recognition of psychosocial factors as risk factors for chronicity. However, there were discrepancies for recommendations regarding exercise therapy, spinal manipulation, muscle relaxants, and patient information. CONCLUSION: The comparison of clinical guidelines for the management of low back pain showed that diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations were generally similar. Updates of the guidelines are planned in most countries, although so far produced only in the United Kingdom. However, new evidence may lead to stronger conclusions and enable future guidelines to become even more concordant.

Australia↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The diagnosis and treatment of chronic back pain by acupuncturists, chiropractors, and massage therapists.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the diagnostic and therapeutic content of visits for chronic back pain to acupuncturists, chiropractors, and massage therapists. METHODS: Randomly selected acupuncturists, chiropractors, and massage therapists in two states were surveyed, and then eligible providers collected data on consecutive patient visits. The authors analyzed information on diagnosis, treatment, and self-care recommendations for chronic back pain patients collected during consecutive patient visits to these complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) providers. RESULTS: Back pain was the most common reason for visits to each of these providers, with chronic back pain representing about 10% of visits to acupuncturists, 20% of visits to chiropractors, and 12% of visits to massage therapists. Diagnosis by acupuncturists included traditional questioning and inspecting the patient as well as pulse and tongue assessment and palpation of the acupuncture meridians. Treatments usually included acupuncture needling, heat of some sort, and other modalities, such as East Asian massage, herbs, and/or cupping (application of suction cups to the skin). Lifestyle recommendations were common, particularly exercise and dietary counseling. Visits to chiropractors usually included spinal and muscle/soft tissue examinations and spinal manipulation. Soft tissue techniques (eg, "active release"), stretch or strength training, and home exercise recommendations were much less common. Massage therapists usually performed a tissue assessment and commonly assessed range of motion. They emphasized Swedish, deep tissue, and trigger point massage techniques and usually made self-care recommendations, particularly increased water intake, hot/cold therapy, exercise, and body awareness. CONCLUSION: Information on the care patients routinely receive from CAM providers will help physicians better understand these increasingly popular forms of care.

Acupuncture Therapy↗

PubMed1994

Chiropractic and the politics of health care.

Musculoskeletal disorders remain a common disability suffered by Australians, but the question of who should treat them remains a contentious issue as the first centenary of the original chiropractic adjustment approaches. This paper, part of a longitudinal study of the role of chiropractic in the Australian health system, analyses this ongoing debate. Recent events are analysed here in this commentary on the politics of health care in this field. These include meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of spinal manipulation for the treatment of lower back pain, recent legal action in the United States, and the recent epistle against Australian chiropractors published by the Australian Medical Association.

American Medical Association↗

PubMed1986

Complementary medicine and the general practitioner.

The attitudes to complementary medicine of a random sample of general practitioners in Avon were assessed. A questionnaire was sent to 200 general practitioners, of whom 145 responded. The treatments studied were acupuncture, homoeopathy, herbal medicine, spinal manipulation, faith healing, and hypnosis. Of the 145 general practitioners, 55 (38%) had received some training in complementary medicine and 22 (15%) wished to arrange training. Overall, general practitioners knew little about the techniques of complementary medicine. Despite this 86 doctors (59%) thought that the complementary techniques being assessed were useful to their patients: 110 (76%) had referred patients for this type of treatment over the past year to medically qualified colleagues and 104 (72%) had referred patients to non-medically qualified practitioners. Most (93%) of those who responded believed that complementary practitioners needed statutory regulation; only 3% thought that they should be banned. The method of regulation most favoured was through a central and independent national body. General practitioners' views about complementary techniques were most influenced (in a positive manner) by observed benefits to their patients (41%) and personal or family experience of benefit (38%). The results of the study show a surprisingly high interest in complementary medicine among general practitioners in the Avon area.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2006

The organisation of the stress response, and its relevance to chiropractors: a commentary.

The stress response is a natural reaction by the body, against potentially harmful stimuli to enhance the chance for survival. Persistent activation of the stress response can cause changes to homeostatic mechanisms. The study of stress neurophysiology, in the evaluation of the manifestation of disease in the body, suggests that these chronic changes have detrimental effects on sub cortical structures. Furthermore, there is much scientific support for the notion that chronic activation of supraspinal systems will lead to maladaptation of homeostatic mechanisms, causing the impairment of processes within the body, and ultimately leading to visceral disorders. The chiropractic profession for many years has alluded to chronic change of neurophysiological pathways as a potential explanation of visceral disorders, but the profession has typically described these in terms of somatovisceral or viscerosomatic reflex activity. Change in supraspinal neurophysiological efferent activity is increasingly being used to explain "stress" related disease. The chiropractic profession should consider investigating such stress responses by conducting spinal manipulative therapy trials that evaluate supraspinal effects of manipulation. Such research may help elucidate key mechanisms associated with the change of visceral disorders noted by some chiropractors following manipulative therapy.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2006

Head repositioning errors in normal student volunteers: a possible tool to assess the neck's neuromuscular system.

BACKGROUND: A challenge for practitioners using spinal manipulation is identifying when an intervention is required. It has been recognized that joint pain can interfere with the ability to position body parts accurately and that the recent history of muscle contraction can play a part in that interference. In this study, we tested whether repositioning errors could be induced in a normal population by contraction or shortening of the neck muscles. METHODS: In the experimental protocol, volunteers free of neck problems first found a comfortable neutral head posture with eyes closed. They deconditioned their cervical muscles by moving their heads 5 times in either flexion/extension or lateral flexion and then attempted to return to the same starting position. Two conditioning sequences were interspersed within the task: hold the head in an extended or laterally flexed position for 10 seconds; or hold a 70% maximum voluntary contraction in the same position for 10 seconds. A computer-interfaced electrogoniometer was used to measure head position while a force transducer coupled to an auditory alarm signaled the force of isometric contraction. The difference between the initial and final head orientation was calculated in 3 orthogonal planes. Analysis of variance (1-way ANOVA) with a blocking factor (participants) was used to detect differences in proprioceptive error among the conditioning sequences while controlling for variation between participants. RESULTS: Forty-eight chiropractic students participated: 36 males and 12 females, aged 28.2 +/- 4.8 yrs. During the neck extension test, actively contracting the posterior neck muscles evoked an undershoot of the target position by 2.1 degrees (p <0.001). No differences in repositioning were found during the lateral flexion test. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the recent history of cervical paraspinal muscle contraction can influence head repositioning in flexion/extension. To our knowledge this is the first time that muscle mechanical history has been shown to influence proprioceptive accuracy in the necks of humans. This finding may be used to elucidate the mechanism behind repositioning errors seen in people with neck pain and could guide development of a clinical test for involvement of paraspinal muscles in cervical pain and dysfunction.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2002

Early intervention for acute back injury: can we finally develop an evidence-based approach?

OBJECTIVE: Several reviews of the treatment of acute low back pain have been published in the past and have formed the basis of clinical guidelines. However, these lack consistency in some areas and valid data in others. As the literature in this field has continued to expand, the present review was undertaken to establish whether the guidelines in current use are supported by more recently published, scientifically rigorous research, and whether additional consensus regarding treatment of acute low back injury has been forthcoming in recent years. DESIGN: A review, and critical analysis, of literature relating to the treatment of acute low back pain that has been published since the production of the currently used clinical guidelines. The guidelines have been reviewed to assess whether their recommendations remain supportable. CONCLUSIONS: Recent research appears to support current clinical guidelines, i.e. exercise may have a positive effect while bed rest is ineffective and may be harmful, simple analgesics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have short-term benefits, and spinal manipulation may be effective in the first four weeks; no evidence was found for traction or back schools. However, we need more randomized controlled trials of treatments shown to be successful with the chronic population, e.g. focused on understanding psychological determinants, and using a multidisciplinary biopsychosocial approach. In the future this may help us to prevent acute low back progressing to the chronic state.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1991

A community-based study of the use of chiropractic services.

BACKGROUND: Little population-based information is available on the use of chiropractic services. METHODS: We analyzed data from the RAND Health Insurance Experiment (HIE), a community-based study of the use of health services. Insurance claim forms for all fee-for-service patients who completed the study were examined for all visits coded as being seen by a chiropractor. Services provided and patient-specified symptoms were taken from these forms. Population-based use rates were calculated for each HIE site. Use rates and services were calculated separately for first visits and repeat visits. RESULTS: There were 5,279 persons who contributed 19,021 person-years of exposure during the study; 395 different persons used 7,873 chiropractic services for a visit rate of 41 per 100 person-years and rate of use of 7.5 percent. Forty-two percent of all visits were for pain in the back. Spinal manipulation accounted for 61 percent of all services provided. Compared to non-users, users tended to be White, middle-aged, married, and high school educated. Seven-fold geographic variations in the use of chiropractic services were seen. CONCLUSIONS: Chiropractors deliver a substantial amount of health care to the US population, and there are significant geographic variations in the rate and intensity of use of chiropractic services.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Use of chiropractic services from 1985 through 1991 in the United States and Canada.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this paper is to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of chiropractic patients and to document chiropractic visit rates in 6 sites in the United States and Canada. METHODS: Random samples of chiropractors from 5 US sites and 1 Canadian site were selected. A record abstraction system was developed to obtain demographic and clinical data from office charts. RESULTS: Of the 185 eligible chiropractors sampled, 131 (71%) participated. Sixty-eight percent of the selected charts showed that care was sought for low back pain, while 32% recorded care for other reasons. Spinal manipulative therapy was recorded in 83% of all charts. There was a greater than 2-fold difference in the median number of visits related to low back pain per episode of care across sites. The chiropractic visit rates in the US sites and Ontario are estimated to be 101.2 and 140.9 visits per 100 person-years, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The chiropractic use rate in these sites is twice that of estimates made 15 years ago. The great majority of patients receive care for musculoskeletal conditions of the back and neck. The number of visits per episode varies appreciably by site.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Vocational outcome of intervention for low-back pain.

Practical management guidelines for occupational health physicians are needed for the individual support of employees with low-back pain. In this study the level of evidence regarding the efficacy of intervention with vocational outcome parameters was assessed. In a systematic literature search, 40 randomized clinical trials on different types of intervention were retrieved. Their internal validity and statistical power criteria were assessed. The randomization procedure, blinding of patients, and sample size were problematic in most studies. For patients with acute low-back pain limited or moderate evidence was found for the efficacy of no bed rest, a short period of bed rest, and spinal manipulation. For chronic patients limited evidence was found for the efficacy of antidepressants. For the other types of intervention, studies with sufficient statistical power were lacking. Such studies are needed before more-detailed evidence-based guidelines can be formulated for occupational health care.

Absenteeism↗

PubMed2001

Conservative treatment for repetitive strain injury.

Various conservative treatment options for repetitive strain injury are widely used, despite questionable evidence of their effectiveness. This systematic review evaluates the effectiveness of these treatment options for relieving symptoms of repetitive strain injury and improving activities of daily living. Searches in Medline and Embase, with additional reference checking resulted in 15 eligible trials for this review. Methodological quality was assessed, and data-extraction was performed. With the use of a "best-evidence synthesis", no strong evidence was found for the effectiveness of any of the treatment options. There is limited evidence that multidisciplinary rehabilitation, ergonomic intervention measures, exercises, and spinal manipulation combined with soft tissue therapy are effective in providing symptom relief or improving activities of daily living. There is conflicting evidence for the effectiveness of behavioral therapy. In conclusion, little is known about the effectiveness of conservative treatment options for repetitive strain injury. To establish strong evidence, more high-quality trials are needed.

Behavior Therapy↗

PubMed2000

Patient characteristics, practice activities, and one-month outcomes for chronic, recurrent low-back pain treated by chiropractors and family medicine physicians: a practice-based feasibility study.

BACKGROUND: Chronic low-back pain is a significant public health problem for which few therapies are supported by predictable outcomes. In this report, practice activities and 1-month outcomes data are presented for 93 chiropractic patients and 45 medical patients with chronic, recurrent low-back pain. DESIGN: A prospective, observational, community-based feasibility study involving chiropractors and family medicine physicians. SETTING: Forty private chiropractic clinics, the outpatient clinic of the Department of Family Medicine at Oregon Health Sciences University, and 5 other Portland area family medicine clinics. OUTCOMES MEASURES: The main outcome measures were pain severity, functional disability, sensory and affective pain quality at 1 month, and patient satisfaction assessed at 7 to 10 days and at 1 month. RESULTS: Although differences were noted in age, sex, education, and employment, the patients were closely matched at baseline with respect to frequency, severity, and type of low-back pain and the psychosocial dimensions of general health. The treatment of choice for chiropractors was spinal manipulation and physical therapy modalities; for medical physicians antiinflammatory agents were most frequently used. Chiropractic patients averaged 4 visits, and medical patients averaged 1 visit. On average, chiropractic patients showed improvement across all outcomes: 31% change in pain severity, 29% in functional disability, 36% in sensory pain quality, and 57% in affective pain quality. Medical patients showed minimal improvement in pain severity (6%) and functional disability (1%) and showed deterioration in the sensory (29%) and affective (26%) dimensions of pain quality. Satisfaction scores were higher for chiropractic patients. Outcomes for medical patients were heavily dependent on psychosocial status at baseline. CONCLUSION: Patients with chronic low-back pain treated by chiropractors show greater improvement and satisfaction at 1 month than patients treated by family physicians. Nonclinical factors may play an important role in patient progress. Findings from the Health Resources and Services Administration-funded project will include a report on the influence of practice activities, including more frequent visits by chiropractic patients, on the clinical course of low-back pain and patient outcomes. (J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2000;23:239-45).

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Joseph W. Howe, D.C., D.A.C.B.R. and the development of modern chiropractic radiology.

Born in Galeton, Pennsylvania, on 27 May 1930, Joseph W. Howe has been extremely influential raising the educational standards for radiology in chiropractic. After receiving his D.C. from Palmer in 1952, he worked in private practice in Pennsylvania until being drafted into the Army, where he worked as a radiologic technician. After returning to civilian life and his practice, he attended many seminars and lectures on the subject, including one in 1958, taught by Roland Kissinger, D.C. at the National College of Chiropractic (NCC), the first postgraduate course in chiropractic roentgenology ever administered by a college. Howe then took and passed the second exam given by the American Board of Chiropractic Roentgenologists and was awarded certificate number eight in 1959. He helped to form the American Chiropractic College of Radiology and became its first Radiological Health Consultant. In 1968, he joined the Associates Diagnostic and Research Center (ADRC) in Tallmadge, Ohio, where he was able to concentrate on research and establish an off-campus facility for radiology residents of NCC. During this time Howe also lent his expertise to the Houston Conference on Spinal Manipulation. However, financial difficulties with the Center led Howe to leave, and accept a full time position teaching at NCC. Howe ultimately found himself too involved with administrative duties and not enough with the radiology that he loved, so he moved his family across the country in order to accept the radiology department chair at Los Angeles College of Chiropractic (LACC) in 1978. There he was given freedom to build the department to his high standards, and it retains the strongest residency in the profession, with up to six residents at any one time and links to prestigious radiologists like Donald Resnick, M.D. and Steve Rothman, M.D. Officially, Howe retired in 1998, but he still occasionally teaches residents and the Westwood-based radiology practice that he donated to LACC continues, run by the radiology faculty.

Chiropractic↗